| 摘要: | This study examines media impact on resocialization toward democracy after
democratic political reform in Taiwan. The research questions are: How do mass media
influence the shared understanding of democratic norms? How is the process of relearning
or re-internalization toward democracy shaped by mass media? How does mass
media agenda-setting and framing influence our cognition and anitudes toward
democracy? We expect there will be different effects for television and newspapers,
between mainstream media and the alternative media, between different information
processing strategies, and between different slanted newspapers.
A telephone survey (n = 800) was conducted to empirically test the hypotheses.
Results show that people with an active information processing strategy have the
competence to understand politics, perceive themselves as able to exercise influence over
government policies, and value democracy under a competitive party system more than
stability under one party system. A selective information processing strategy was found
to be negatively correlated with general support for democracy only. For those
selectively processing, politics is too complicated to understand and conflicts among
political parties are seen as doing no good to the nation.
Television and newspaper exposure in this study was found to induce a
construction of conservative cognition for the audience. Television exposure was
positively rclalcd to politicallrusl and negatively relaled to polilicallolerance.Newspaper exposure was negatively correlated with general support for democracy.
Newspaper attention is a distinct construct from newspaper exposure. The former
contributed significant positive effects to general support for democracy and support for a
competitive party system.
Compared with mainstream media, alternative media were less likely to have
significant influence. They had impact on support for democracy, political efficacy, and
political tolerance. Only DPP underground radio contributed positively to political
efficacy and politi~al tolerance. However, the effect of underground radio use on
democratic orientations was subject to its connections with opposition parties. With the
New Party adherents, in contrast to those of the DPP, the effects of NP underground radio
were negative to political tolerance.
The Freedom Times, with a predisposition toward the DPP, was more likely to be
associated negatively with political trust of the existing government and associate
positively with support for a competitive party system and political tolerance. The
United Daily, slanted toward the government, was more likely to be associated negatively
with support for a competitive party system and political tolerance.
The interaction results show respondents were not uniformly and overwhelmingly
influenced by mass media. Apparently, selective mechanisms were working; however,
the media still exert a subtle, persistent influence in defining the scope of respectable
political discourse, channeling public attention in directions that are supportive of their
affiliated parties -- mass media are used intentionally and seem effective to reinforce
certain political beliefs. |
